I thought I would continue my rant on Thesis with this “Pros and Cons”.  Thesis is a popular theme and is widely recommended. But, as with everything, Thesis has its good points and its bad points.  Here are just a few to begin the debate.

So what’s hot about Thesis?

• SEO – As Thesis has all the SEO features one could want, there is no need for a plug-in. Thesis uses custom fields for SEO, so if you change themes the meta data can be saved or transferred if you will.
• SPEED – Thesis is stupid fast. Reason? Several. The code is clean and well optimized and the media images are cached. Bada Bing!
• REDUCED PLUG-INS – Many of the Thesis features reduce the need for a lot of extra plug-ins. SEO, Notes, and Google Analytics are all taken care of.
• HOOKS – Thesis allows a ton of customizations via hooks. So if you have experience with PHP, you’re going to love the hooks. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to get the hang of it and off you go to easily add custom code to any part of your theme you please.
• BACK END – The back-end is pretty sweet! It is simple and elegant, and the options are neatly categorized with a greater variety of files to be edited with its custom file editor.
• CUSTOM TEMPLATES – The Thesis themes that are presently out there for use is simply astounding. Their beauty and ease of navigation is unsurpassed!
• SUPPORT – There is plenty of support options available to the user via Google! The forums I’ve seen are pretty good.

So what’s not about Thesis?

• IF YOU DON’T CODE, LOOK OUT!!! – If you lack the html, php, and css coding skills, shoot yourself in the foot right now and get it over with!
• THESIS IS A FRAMEWORK – Thesis is just the running gear of your blog. You make all the decisions as to the look and feel of the template. A custom design gives you some lee-way here.
• THESIS CAN BE MAINTENANCE INTENSIVE – You pretty much have to stay on top of Thesis all the time. With every new version, come changes and your Thesis thing will break!

You’re free to add any pros or cons yourself in the comment section, if you feel I have over looked a really important issue.

For those of you who are not familiar with Thesis Themes, a quick definition is in order.  Thesis is not only a theme but is more clearly defined as an “SEO Optimized Framework“.  Hard coding comes natural to me, as I had experience with code before I started Blogging.  However I’ve been burned by it ….. badly!  So to have this type of theme for a beginner, who doesn’t want to deal with hard coding, is a real plus.  Please remember that this is a site for new Bloggers. If you desire to take a look up under the hood, cruise on over to Blogging Extreme, where there are plenty of hi-tech solutions and nightmares to be found for the most unsuspecting of Bloggers.

Thesis Themes can be found everywhere you look, and I will be furnishing links to the best available in an upcoming post.  As a new Blogger with no experience, you should give yourself at least a year of working with your theme, as is, before you go looking for trouble inside the code.

This Blog is dedicated to those who want to earn some sort of income at Blogging. In order to achieve that goal, you will have to move, and move quickly, to keep up with the ever evolving climate of Pro-Bloggers where you will have to understand and work with code directly.  If you are just looking to provide your recipes Online for friends and family, have at it.  You will have to look no further than a Thesis Theme.

Bullet Heads Unite!!!

• Start by watching some Videos on Thesis. This is the better way of understanding Thesis in the beginning. WATCH THESE TWO!
• Take a look at different themes that are available, don’t get too involved, just look for right now!
• Don’t make your decision to purchase on price. Let something stand out and grab you and then purchase. Remember, you’re going to be living with this theme for a while.
• If ,in the course of searching for Thesis Themes, you find a theme that is not Thesis, make sure it is a “Premium WordPress Theme”. These themes come with a lot of the same benefits as Thesis Themes and will save you many headaches over a “FREE” WordPress Template.
• Once you have decided on a Thesis Theme, see if you can purchase others at a reduced cost or think about joining a Thesis Club for a flat fee.
• Follow installation instructions closely and take your time doing this.
• Don’t forget to do your due diligence on your plug-ins. Don’t install too many at first, just what you need to get started.
• Under no circumstances should you try to alter, in any way, the code.
• After six months of use, you should have a good understanding of what you are dealing with. If you are interested in changing code, go for it! Please remember to back-up your Blog before you do any coding.
• Take multiple screen-shots of any change in code you make (before and after) and keep in a separate folder on your hard drive.
• Remember to make a back-up of your Blog every month. Avoid storing server-side (the web host will frown on this practice)! Back-up to your own hard drive!
• Be careful to follow all of your Thesis Theme guidelines in relation to media (both still images and videos). This shows good SEO form, and will leave you way ahead of the game.